A Year and a Half
by Whitepurity
Summary: As Arthur Pendragon hides in the bushes of Ealdor, he watches as his two friends walk along side-by-side unaware of his presence. Merlin/Morgana
1. Preview

**Hello! This is my Christmas present to all the Merlin/Morgana fans from me. I decided last night that I should really get a move on with this story that I started before that triology, and here I am 2:47pm Christmas Eve posting a preview. I hope you enjoy it and I hope that I have chapter 1 up before the new year. The story so far only has 5 chapters and I think its going to stay around about that, maybe one more chapter, because I have plans for a sequal. **

**Anyway I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except some presents under the Christmas tree addressed to me.**

**A Year and a Half**

**Preview**

It had been a year and a half since he had seen them. In that time, he had found ten new manservants; none had been able to fill the shoes that Merlin had left. He didn't have an annoying foster sister anymore, and found that Camelot had gotten boring since their departure.

He could see them but they couldn't see him. He watched how they interacted with each other, her having an arm around his waist and him having an arm around her shoulders. Merlin looked the same as he did when he was his manservant in Camelot, but Morgana had looked different. She still possessed one of the most beautiful faces that once graced Camelot, but her clothes and body had changed. She was wearing a pale blue dress, a dress that made her fit in with Ealdor; it wasn't elegant like her dresses back in Camelot but like the dresses that Gwen has. Her body was different in a way that Arthur could tell, having lived with her for half his life, but he couldn't seem to pinpoint the differences.

Morgana turned to Merlin and had said something to him, a grin evident of her happiness before sprinting in the direction of the village with Merlin not far behind her. They made their way past Arthur, and Merlin started to slow before coming to a complete stop while watching Morgana run on. Merlin turned in the direction of Arthur and walked his way, forcing Arthur to sink further down into the bushes he was hiding in.


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey! Ok, a new story although I ashamefully admit this story was started back in my exams before the mini-triology, so if their are similar themes in the story that's why. I have finished writing the story and there is five chapters and it is a shortish story. I will release a chapter once every Sunday (hopefully, as I am doubtful of some parts of the story). There is a sequel brainstormed, not yet planned fully or in production and I don't think that will happen for a while. **

**So I hope you enjoy this chapter, please review and tell me what you think, I know it's not the best Merlin/Morgana story out there but it is one to add to the collection.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, well except for something but if I say it here I will ruin part of this chapter.**

**Chapter One**

It had been a year and a half since he had seen them. In that time, he had found ten new manservants; none which had been able to fill the shoes that Merlin had left. He didn't have an annoying foster-sister anymore, and found that without the couple, Camelot had gotten very uneventful and boring.

He could see them but they weren't aware of his nearby presence. He studied how they interacted with each other, her having an arm around his waist and him having an arm around her shoulders, walking along side-by-side. Merlin looked the same as he had when he was the Prince's clumsy manservant in Camelot, but Morgana had changed. She still possessed one of the most beautiful faces in Camelot, but her clothes and physical body were different. She was wearing a pale blue dress, one that made her fit in to Ealdor's community; it wasn't elegant like her dresses back in Camelot but it was designed in the style of Gwen's traditional dress. Her body was different in a way that Arthur could tell, having lived with her for about ten years, but he couldn't seem to pinpoint the differences.

Morgana turned round to Merlin and said something to him, a grin evident of her happiness before sprinting in the direction of the village with Merlin on her heels. They made their way past Arthur, where Merlin started to slow before coming to a complete stop, watching Morgana continue. Merlin turned in the direction of Arthur and began to walk his way, forcing Arthur to sink further down into the bushes he was hiding in.

"I know you're there Arthur." Merlin's voice came, his voice unchanged from when Arthur had last heard it. "Come on, I won't hurt you."

"You couldn't if you tried." Arthur retorted before realising that he had responded when he had planned not to. He revealed himself from his hiding spot and made his way over to Merlin, not sure on how to actually approach the matter on hand. "It's good to see you again." He started, sticking out his hand for him to take; Merlin took his hand and pulled him in for a hug. Although Arthur was reluctant about the hug, he responded to the hug holding him just as tightly. When they broke away, Arthur realised that Merlin really hadn't changed all that much and that he was pretty much the same as he was in Camelot.

"How's Morgana?" Arthur enquired while Merlin gestured that they start walking in the direction of the village, "Where did she go?"

"Good, she ran ahead to tell my Mother that we are expecting a visitor for dinner." Merlin responded, "I didn't see you until I ran past you but Morgana had foreseen your visit for some time now. It good having a seer around so there are no nasty surprises, and no Crown Princes trying to hide in the bushes without saying 'hi' to his friends." He mockingly glared at him; in return Arthur tried to put on a mask of innocence.

"Well, I didn't want to disrupt anything going on. It's a miracle I made it on my own; I thought my Father would have sent the Knights after me already." They fell silent, Arthur avoiding the topic of Camelot. "Is Morgana still having nightmares?"

"Yes and no. She still has those prophetic dreams but being away from Camelot, where everything seems to happen, they are a lot less and she sleeps better."

They fell silent approaching the village, not wanting nor need the problem of people overhearing. The path they took was a reminder to Arthur of the last time he was here, when Will had told him that he was the one the sorcerer to defend Merlin. As they walked through the village, the residents bowed to the Prince and between them started asking themselves what a member of the royal family was doing in their village while many people thanked him for his deeds from his last visit. Merlin came to a stop at the door that Arthur knew was his mother's house; hand on the door knob, Merlin turned to face Arthur.

"There was something I probably should have told you."

"What? That you still live with your Mother?" Arthur joked, although slightly hypocritical because he still and always will live with his Father.

"No, okay I do but that wasn't it."

"That you married Morgana?" Arthur teased, glad that he had a friend like Merlin back in his company again, something he didn't realise he would miss until it left.

"No, that wasn't it and you don't need to be a seer to figure that one out." He pushed the door open and allowed Arthur to enter the house before him. The house, which had consisted of one room was lit with candles, as the sun outside was setting and dark was approaching. Morgana and Hunith were sitting on the ground in the corner around a fire. Hunith was cooking their dinner; Arthur grimaced, remembering his previous experience with Hunith's cooking. The pair turned around as the setting of the sun had unexpectedly brightened the house, Morgana made her way to her feet as the door shut behind them.

She walked over to Arthur and brought him into an close embrace, Arthur responded but could help but notice that her body was definitely different from the last time he hugged her.

"It's good to see you again." She said pulling away from his hold, watching him nod. He realised that he didn't appreciate her presence in Camelot before she was gone, alike Merlin. "It's weird not living with a Royal prat." Arthur chuckled at her comment.

"It's weird not living with someone who needs to brush her hair all day long." He retorted, regretting it after he had said it, forgetting that she wasn't the King's Ward anymore but a common villager.

"I'm happy Arthur, don't worry about it." She reassured him. "I don't need material possessions; I have a family who loves me, no matter what my hair looks like." She said in a light humorous manner. Merlin went over to his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist, her back against his chest. Arthur noticed how Merlin's hands were placed on Morgana's abdomen, and how she had placed hers on top of his. "I'm with child." She announced.

Arthur raised his eyebrows, they felt like they had met his hairline, he knew that one day Morgana would be having children but it seemed unreal. She was married and was in a position to have a child, but having known Morgana for most of his life, he didn't ever imagine this day. He know knew why her body looked slightly different, although she was not showing yet, her hips were definitely wider and, ashamed that he noticed, her breasts were bigger.

"Congratulations are in order I suppose…" Arthur trailed off by the sound of crying behind him, stunned, he turned around to see a young child, a baby girl on the bed that Hunith took the last time he was stayed in Ealdor, sitting up, desperate to attract the attention of the adults. Merlin unwrapped himself from his wife and responded to the girl's tears. He gently picked up the girl, and the teddy that was secure in her grip, and held her close to his chest. Rubbing her back in a soothing manner until the tears came to a stop. "You have another child?" He asked shocked.

"Merlin, you didn't tell him." His mother scolded at her son, while he smiled sheepishly.

"I was going to, but I got distracted." Arthur took a step in closer to look at his friend's baby, noting that she had inherited her mother's ebony locks, her mother's facial structure and her father's eyes. The baby brought her chubby little hands up to her eyes and rubbed them, accidentally releasing her hold on the teddy as she did. The adults of the household watched as the teddy fell to the ground, most of them in anticipation of the crying which would start again. The teddy slowed in its descent from the baby's hold and came to stop midair.

"Are you doing that Merlin?" Morgana asked, looking up at his face, searching for gold eyes as evidence. He shook his head in response to her question as the bear made a steady rise back to his original spot. Everyone remained silent as the baby beamed at her father; the remnants of her eye colour change disappearing.

"You did magic." Merlin exclaimed, before tickling her with one hand making her giggle. He looked up to Morgana, "She did magic."

"I saw," She kissed her daughter's forehead; the child loving the attention that she was receiving. "And this is why, if we allowed to, we couldn't live in Camelot." She stated seriously with a hint of sadness, it made Arthur think to why his Father thought that their baby was evil just because she could use magic, when all she wanted was her teddy. The baby pointed to him, and Merlin gestured for him to come closer.

"Ellie, this is the Crown Prince of Camelot, Arthur Pendragon. Arthur, this is my daughter Elanora Ambrosius." Ellie stuck out her hand, the one not holding onto her beloved teddy, to Arthur. He gave her his pinky and she started shaking it, giggling hysterically at the action.

"She's got her Mother's looks, but definitely seems to be like her Father, in more ways than one." Arthur spoke as he tried to retrieve his pinky from the stubborn grip of the little girl.

"Yes, she may seem like me now but wait until she gets cranky, she's a mini-mummy."

"Hey!" Morgana defended herself, "at least she didn't get your ears, and I just hope the one in here is just as lucky." She placed her hand on her flat-for-now-abdomen and rubbed it soothingly. The last comment drew Arthur's attention away from Ellie and to Morgana's stomach.

"I keep forgetting there's another one in there." Arthur commented, he looked back at Ellie, who had given her teddy away to her Mother and had both arms outstretched to him.

"Do you want to hold her?" Merlin asked, trying to juggle the squirming baby who was trying to escape his grip, eagerly trying to reach Arthur. He nodded unsurely, watching Ellie; although he didn't think he had much of a choice with the way that she was squirming and her irresistible charm (that he had to admit, she inherited from her Mother and would curse the opposite sex in her teenage years). Merlin skilfully passed Ellie off to Arthur, who seemed to hold the baby unsurely as she was the first baby he'd ever handled.

"Am I doing this right? I never held a baby before." Arthur was a bit nervous about having this precious child in his arms and knew that he must have been holding the baby right as no one had intervened or said otherwise. He experimentally bounced the baby, who giggled with joy, giving Arthur more confidence in what he was doing.

"You're a natural Arthur; you're going to be a great Father." Morgana complimented, watching her foster-brother with her first-born child, who was acting in a manner that would be considered inappropriate in the eyes of his Father.

"Unlike my own?" He asked, the question showing his insecurities in what he was doing although he was still bouncing Ellie and putting on a fake smile for her.

"You learn from his mistakes, you know that Ellie means no harm by using her magic to pick up her teddy. You know that she needs to be nurtured and loved. I promise you Arthur," Morgana began and Arthur took his eyes off Ellie to meet hers. "That you will not be like you're Father." She swore to him.

"Thank you." He needed to hear that he wasn't going to be like his Father, he had seen what his Father had done to Camelot, and he had been personally affected by the cruel laws that he had in place. He knew and promised himself that he would not become his Father, that he would be a better King to the people of Camelot than his Father ever was…could ever be. In the past years that he had known Merlin, he had felt everything shift in his world, and was know striving to be a fair and just King, something his Father could never accomplish.

"Dinner is served." Hunith announced, presenting in front of her four plates of what looked like gruel; Arthur gulped, turning to Ellie, who beamed at him. Morgana and Merlin sat down next to Hunith and was humorously watching Arthur with their baby trying to succeed at the quest of trying to sit down whist holding the child.

"She really likes you Arthur."

"Who wouldn't? He _is_ the most handsome bachelor in Camelot." Morgana rhetorically asked light-heartily, teasing her husband. Merlin reclaimed his daughter from Arthur's arms and looked down on her seriously.

"There will be no boys until you are 30."

"Hey Merlin?"

"Yeah?" Merlin answered blankly to his wife, wondering why she would have any objections to his enforcing statement.

"You're not even 30 yet!" Morgana reached over for Ellie and pulled her onto her lap, adjusting her bowl that had been placed in front of her to feed herself and her child. "You have a silly daddy, Ellie." Kissing her daughter on the top of her head, she smirked to Merlin. "And by the way, the obsession she has over Arthur comes from you."


	3. Chapter 2

**Thank you for those who have reviewed, I appreciate your nice comments, that made me smile on Monday morning. Thank you to those people who have favourited or alerted my story as well. I have changed this chapter in little ways from the original, which I didn't think I was going to finish rewriting this by today and now have to go to the rest of the story and rewrite them as well to make them fit the story. Anyway until next week, I hope you enjoy this and please leave a comment.**

**A/N: I do not own anything apart from Ellie and the new un-named (well to you un-named) child.**

**Chapter Two**

"Has your Father proposed any ideas of marriage to you as you are of age?" Morgana asked she knew that this subject was inevitable and that they had to stop batting about the bush and bring it out in the open. She also wanted to know what Uther had done about this notion since her departure.

"Not as much as he should be, I think the mess that you left him in, turned him off the idea. Everyone believes that you ran away because you didn't want to marry any of the suitors that my Father chose for you, no has related the simultaneous departure of Merlin with you. He regrets what he did to you Morgana, although he is too proud to admit it. It's interesting though, when you and Merlin came to tell me you were leaving Camelot, I never expected that a year and a half later, you would be married with a child and another on the way."

"What can I say; it was my dazzling looks and witty charm!" Merlin complimented himself; Hunith shook her head at her son's remark and shared a look with Morgana who was rocking Ellie to sleep in her arms. Arthur smiled at Merlin's usual light-humour character which was typically Merlin.

"If Gaius was here, he would slap you across the head." Arthur commented he looked over to Morgana, seeking permission to do so, who nodded in response. Upon receiving the signal he mimicked Gaius by 'gently' (well it was Arthur's version of gentle and not Merlin's) slapping Merlin over the head, who left the victim rubbing the side of his head that had suffered from the blow. Hunith rolled her eyes at the men and yawned, deciding that it was time she left the young adults to themselves and go to bed. Morgana who sat next to her mother-in-law yawned in response, subconsciously agreeing it was time for her to sleep as well. Hunith leant over from her position on the floor to her grandchild in her daughter's arms and kissed the child's forehead, then kissed Morgana's forehead and then brought her into her embrace.

"Sleep well my dears." Arthur watched on as Hunith said goodnight to her daughter-in-law and her granddaughter before she stood up and bowed her head towards the Prince, remembering her place in society as a customary action. Arthur left his place from the ground and walked over to her and hugged her, catching her off guard.

"Thank you for letting me stay the night in your home Hunith, I am grateful for your hospitality." She smiled at him, glad to have a person such as Arthur for a Prince; she placed her hands on either side of his face and slightly lowered his head to place a gentle kiss on his forehead. An action not appropriate for someone of her class to her Prince but he did not reject it; in fact he rather liked the motherly love shown to him by Merlin's mother.

"Goodnight Merlin." She turned to make her way to the bed when her son looked at her retreating back with confusion written across his face.

"What about me?"

"What about you?" She had turned around to face him in her response to his question.

"Don't I get a kiss?" Merlin pouted his lips towards his mother, he knew it was pathetic, he didn't need a kiss from his Mother, but Arthur had gotten one. "You kissed everyone else, even Arthur."

"Stop being such a baby Merlin." Arthur sniggered from his place back on the floor to which he returned. "You have one of those for your own." Hunith bent down and kissed Merlin's forehead, whispering a goodnight to him and was about to make her way to her bed when she spoke directly to Arthur.

"He's my baby." Her comment made Arthur chuckle, while Merlin pouted more. Morgana smiled sleepily at the scene and shuffled over to Merlin and Arthur. She hugged her foster-brother lazily, who in return pulled her in tighter while still being mindful of the baby that was between them. They separated and he looked down at the baby who was barely awake but awake enough to gaze up at him and pat her forehead. He raised an eyebrow and searched for the answers in her parents.

"She wants you to kiss her forehead. Everyone does it before she goes to sleep, it's customary." Merlin answered, suggesting him to do the same. Arthur bent down and awkwardly kissed her forehead, and felt her patting his face when he was close to her. As he resumed his sitting position, Merlin bent down to his daughter, kissing her forehead and then the rest of her face before Ellie could slap him away, too tired to play his games. He placed one final kiss on her forehead before kissing her mother, gently but firmly, causing Arthur to look away to give them their privacy.

Morgana left the two friends and went to the other side of the house, near where Hunith was resting. There was a wooden handmade crib that lay on the ground at the head of a bunch of blankets and pillows that looked like a makeshift bed. Arthur and Merlin remained silent as they watched Morgana attempt to set Ellie down into her crib, but the child started fussing, throwing her arms and legs around and letting out a cry until her mother gave up. Morgana let out a sigh and looked towards Merlin; she placed the baby down on the blankets next to her and blew out the candles that lit up the side of the house where they were sleeping in. Morgana settled down beside the baby, pulling the blankets up so it would cover her and her child before attempting to sleep.

"Since she took my side of the bed, it looks like I'm going to have to sleep with you." Merlin spoke in a hushed whisper, a single candle lighting his face for Arthur to see that he meant it in a humorous manner. "She does that every time we try and get her in the crib when she is awake, we have to wait until she falls asleep to put her in."

"How old is she?"

"She is about 9 months old; she was born in late September."

"You only left in December!" He said shocked, careful to keep his voice low. "I thought that you two only left Camelot because Morgana couldn't stand those dreams anymore and needed to get away."

_The King's Ward burst into the door of the Physician's Chambers, searching the room for the warlock who was the only person that could even start to understand what she was going through. The nightmares that Morgana were haunted by, prevented her from sleeping through the night, and she was lucky to get four hours of sleep in a row. Merlin had come clean to her about his magic after she had witnessed it in her dreams, and although she had been mad and assumed that he couldn't trust her with his secret, the revelation left them with a person to talk to, someone who could understood the other._

"_Merlin?" She called out, knowing that the Physician was out on an emergency outbreak in the lower towns and wouldn't be back until the illness was eradicated from Camelot, in fear of the royal family coming down with the fatal ailment. The warlock responded to her call by coming out of his room and was making his way down the short distance of steps when she ran over to him and latched on to him like her life depended on it. _

"_I've had enough Merlin of these stupid dreams." She sat on the steps with her head in her hands. "I can't sleep, I can't tell anyone, and it's driving me up the wall." Merlin sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close in a comforting manner. _

"_What did you see?" _

"_A better life." She simply stated, raising her head out of her hands with a slight blush on her cheeks. Embarrassed of her slight breakdown and the dream on which she had no choice but to reveal._

"_You saw your own future; usually you only see the futures of others."_

"_Well…it was indeed my future…and yours. We were in your mother's house; it was night time because the room was lit with candles. I was leaning back on you, my back against your chest; your hands were on my stomach, which was swollen with child." She met his eyes, the blush growing on her face._

"_You were pregnant with our child?" He asked incredulously, their child, a child born of a King's Ward and the Prince's manservant, a practically impossible child._

"_I placed my hands over yours and the baby kicked. I looked up to you and your eyes lit up and this big contagious smile took possession of your face, I knew the same features were mirrored on my face – I felt truly happy. Then you kissed me."_

_Merlin was shocked of what the dream revealed of their future. The dream seemed impossible in the view of their positions of power and his destiny. Although they did seem happy… "What do we do about my destiny?"_

"_To be honest Merlin, I don't think anything is going to happen to your destiny if you go away while Arthur is Prince, with Uther as King, nothing is going to happen. Merlin I don't know how far in the future this dream takes place but I just need to get away from Camelot for some undetermined about of time. We'll go visit your mother for the winter and you can return once the snow has melted."_

"_What will you do? What do we tell Arthur? How will Uther react? Morgana have you really thought this through?"_

"_I don't know, but I have faith in my dreams and I can't let destiny, whether it yours or mine ruin my life waiting around for it to happen. Sitting around may actually prevent destiny from happening because we were not doing something were supposed to."_

_Merlin sighed in defeat. "I have only one condition." He stated, promising to leave with her if she abided him this one thing. "We tell Arthur the truth about everything, we can't lie to him."_

_Morgana nodded, swearing to keep her promise. "He'll be our King." Merlin stood up as they were going to leave for Ealdor immediately and they had errands to run before they could do so. He turned around to help Morgana up, unaware that she had gotten up by herself and was standing right behind him. She was looking up at him, standing so close that he could feel her body against his. He bowed his head to meet her lips, a kiss which wasn't their first and would certainly not be their last._

* * *

Morgana woke with a start, not because of the dream that she had just seen but because she had felt the physical connection with her child break. She opened her eyes to see Merlin pick up their child and hush the stirring child in hopes of prevent her from waking up. They both relaxed as the baby didn't wake and he placed her in the crib successfully. As Merlin tucked the child into the crib, Morgana sluggishly sat up in the makeshift bed and stretched out to grab a spare blanket reserved for winter and throw it over to Arthur, who caught the blanket with expertise skill. She reached out for the pillow that her daughter had been sleeping on, Merlin's pillow, and threw it to Arthur, satisfied that he had enough to sleep somewhat comfortably.

"What did you see?" A phrase that Merlin commonly used with her dreams.

"Arthur's coronation." She paused, eyeing Arthur. "It takes place the day after tomorrow."

"What?" Arthur said breathlessly. He started to unravel himself in the cocoon that he had developed from the blankets, to get up and immediately leave for Camelot. "I have get back to Camelot now."

"Arthur, stop this nonsense. Its night, you won't be able to find your horse in the dark yet alone ride back to Camelot." Arthur stopped as he listened to the reasoning of his foster-sister, realising how futile his attempt to get home would be. "Merlin can use his magic to transport you to the forest on the outskirts of Camelot tomorrow in a matter of minutes." Arthur sighed as he accepted defeat and settled back into his bed.

Morgana felt her husband shift behind her, pulling her down to lie with him. Since they had one pillow between the two of them, his body was flush against hers, which didn't bother either of them as they would end up like that every other night. Arthur leant over and blew out the candle, plunging the room into the darkness of the night.


	4. Chapter 3

**Ok, I didn't think I was going to get this up today, its 8:08pm at home, and I suppose readers from other countries are mostly behind a day so they wouldn't take much notice. I swear that this is not going down well on paper, it sounds better in my head without the worry about grammar and etc. But I'll keep putting it up anyway. Like I've said before I have been tweaking at it and its getting longer, i'm adding in new scenes and it is so going to not make it to the 5 chapter limit, its going over, by how much i'm not sure. Anyway, please comment and tell me what you think, if anyone actually does read this, maybe you just skip down to the actually story. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Ellie and noname child.**

**Chapter Three**

Arthur woke from his sleep, opening his eyes to vague light of the early morning sunrise intruding through the gaps between the planks of wood in the walls. He could hear the light breathing and slight snoring from the other occupants of the room. The dream that he had just awaken from was in fact the memory of the night he had last seen Merlin and Morgana before his journey to Ealdor. It was a constant reminder that used to haunt him, not because he was the reason behind their departure but due to the fact he couldn't do anything about it, although he wanted to, magic was outlawed by his Father. In the past, when he had this dream, it would leave him in a frustrated mood which had eventually lead him to visit Ealdor, to discover the state of his two friends. Upon waking up from the dream this time, he realised how much happier Morgana was; how she had managed to take control of her magic with the help of Merlin, and how Merlin wasn't living with the constant fear of execution. Meanwhile, they had found solace and love within the other and had brought a child into the world and were preparing to bring in another in a couple of months time.

Their children were loved by their parents, something that Arthur had not had in his life since his Mother died on the fateful day of his birth. Arthur was Crown Prince, and one would assume that he had everything he had ever wanted in the world but that was not true. Arthur did not have loving parents; he had a Mother that died before meeting her child, and a King for a Father. Uther wasn't the loving type of person, he was strictly business and although this would have its benefits when running a kingdom, it did not when raising a family. Arthur was jealous of Ellie for having two loving parents, he was jealous of Merlin for having his Mother still alive and for having Gaius as a guardian who looked out for him.

Coming to Ealdor had triggered a lot of emotional baggage in Arthur that he was too proud to admit to before. Sitting up Arthur looked around the tiny house, his eyes just able to see the outlines of the occupant's bodies. He looked to the beloved handmade crib where Ellie lay, beside the body of her Mother, who was contently sleeping in the arms of her husband. Morgana had given up probably one of the most comfortable beds in the Kingdom for her happiness which left her sleeping on the cold hard floor but she was congruous and didn't complain (she was probably grateful to Hunith for taking them in).

He needed them. He needed Merlin. He needed Morgana. Camelot was not the same without them, Merlin would be forever loyal to him and he knew that he couldn't trust anyone else more and Morgana was a person who wasn't afraid of taking his ego down a few notches when he got unbearable. He needed them to return to Camelot but knew that that was not possible under his Father's reign. He would have to make arrangements for them to have a future in Camelot under his reign.

Ellie announced to the room that she was awake with an ear-piercing cry. The people in the room that had been sleeping were now stirring, Hunith being the more alert, sat up in bed stretching the kinks in her back. She looked around the room to see which other of the adults were awake, spotting Arthur watching her, and Morgana trying to hide her face in Merlin's back, attempting to avoid the fact that it was a new day. She got off the bed and standing over Merlin and Morgana, pulled Ellie out of her crib. The child hushed as her grandmother held her while Hunith nudged Merlin with her foot to wake him.

"I'm going to fetch some water and then I will make breakfast." She informed her half-asleep son before placing her grandchild on the ground beside her father. "Good morning Sire, I'm sorry to ask you for a favour but may you watch over Ellie while I'm away, you won't believe what mischief this child can get into when not supervised."

"Of course. I believe you about the mischief, I'm not sure which parent she gets that from yet." She left the house and Arthur watched Ellie as she made her way to her feet, wobbling, obviously not used to standing up. He was told that she could stand but not walk yet, so her standing up wasn't surprising to Arthur but she was still fascinating to him. She finally lost her balance and fell back on her father, causing him to groan when she landed on him.

She quickly recovered and, giving up on walking, crawled over to Arthur. He held out his arms to the child, tickling her when she was in his reach, resulting in the room being filled with her sweet laughter.

"She really loves you Arthur." He looked over to her parents who were now sitting up, tiredly watching the Crown Prince with their daughter. "So we'll find your horse, and then Merlin will transport both of us to the forest outside of Camelot and then he and Ellie can come later today."

* * *

"Well…that was…disorienting." Arthur stated as he held on to the reign's of his horse for dear life, Morgana squeezing his waist like he was anchoring her onto the horse and if she let go she would fall off the horse.

"If we feel this way, take it easy on the horse." The horse seemed relatively unaffected but they didn't want to risk their chances, so they waited a minute before getting the horse to start moving, planning to increase their speed when all of them felt like they could stomach it.

* * *

"Sire? Where have you been?" One of Arthur's Knights announced as they came across their Prince. It was barely past sunrise, but Arthur was on a horse galloping back to Camelot with a companion. Arthur and his companion, who was unable to be identified because of the hooded cloak they wore, came to a halt.

"The King is gravely ill, sire." Arthur flinched at the word 'gravely' knowing that the Knights didn't know how close their comment was to the truth. "Your presence is required at the Castle immediately." The Knight stopped to take a breath and was greeted by the Crown Prince and the unknown companion continuing their way back to Camelot as fast as their horse would go.

* * *

Gwen walked through the streets of Camelot having nothing to do. She had finished all her current jobs as a seamstress and was waiting for another order so she could actually do some work. However, she knew that with the King in his current state that the only orders she would get anytime soon would be for a funeral. King Uther's reign was coming to an end, he was dying by an illness and Gaius doubted that he would make it to the end of the week. As she looked around, she saw people who had stopped working and were waiting for news about the King by camping out in the Palace's courtyard. Being a worker of the Castle, she knew that the Knights were stressing out about finding Arthur, who seemed to have not come back from a hunting trip which he went on alone the previous day.

Deciding that she would help Gaius with his job to make the King as comfortable as possible, she made her way up to the Castle before a racket from behind her made her turn around to witness the Crown Prince galloping at top speed towards her. He halted their horse within feet of Gwen, revealing to her that he had a cloaked companion riding on the back of his horse.

"Get me off this horse; I'm going to be sick." The companion removed the cloak from over her head, and revealed herself to be the former Ward of the King. Gwen rushed over to the horse and helped her friend off, who was followed by Arthur jumping off without hesitation. She was holding her head with one hand and her stomach with the other, Arthur moved closer to Morgana as she swayed and he caught her as she fainted. Without a word, Arthur carried Morgana to Gaius' chambers with Gwen following close behind, both ignoring the odd looks that they received from the people of Camelot of the newly found missing Ward of the King.

Morgana was stirring has Arthur gently placed her on the patient bed in the Physician's chambers. Satisfied that Morgana was in the good hands of Gwen, Arthur left the room to tend to his ill Father. Gwen was stunned by the person that was laying in the bed before her, the person that had been missing-in-action for a year and a half. She had dearly missed her former mistress and friend who had disappeared from Camelot without a word. The said woman groaned and attempted to sit up before falling back to the bed feeling faint and light-headed.

"Take it easy milady." Gwen recommended, easily falling back into her previous occupation. At the sound of her voice, Morgana slowly turned her head to face and smile at Gwen.

"This bed is _so_ comfortable." She sighed; she attempted to sit up again, slower than the previous time, succeeding as she did. "I can't believe I fainted, I suppose it's a result of mix of things, the transportation spell, the fast galloping back to Camelot and probably the start of morning sickness." She commented, killing two birds with the one stone, leaving Gwen with her mouth hanging open in shock, confusion spattered across her face.

"Spell? Morning sickness?"

"Yeah…I suppose I have to explain a few things first." It was at this moment that Gwen had gotten a proper look at her former mistress. Her hair wasn't as elegant as it had been when she was the King's Ward; her dress was of a peasant class which was even inferior to the dress that she was wearing. Morgana smiled as Gwen met her face and took one of her hands into her own, causing Gwen to notice her not-as-soft hands, toughened by work of a peasant.

"You know how my dreams could accurately foretell events yet to happen, in other words I possessed magic. The dreams were beginning to take its toll and I had to talk to someone who could understand what I was going through. I found a person that I could relate to in Merlin, he is a sorcerer." She heard Gwen gasp at the revelation of Merlin's secret.

"I understand why he kept it to himself but I never expected Merlin to be a sorcerer, I mean I thought his only secret was that he was close to you."

"I'll wait for Gaius to return before I go any further in the story."

Gwen nodded in agreement before adding, "The baby's Merlin's, right?"


	5. Chapter 4

**Hey Hey. Going to keep this author note nice and short, so please review and enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the kids, they're mine.**

**Chapter Four**

"Gaius, if you don't mind?" Arthur pleaded, asking the physician to leave.

"Of course, sire." Gaius bowed his head to Arthur and then to the gravely ill Uther before leaving the room. He made his way back to his chambers, temporarily excused from tending to the King. The physician knew that Arthur would have to step up to being King in the next couple of days and as King he wouldn't be able to go off wandering alone on hunting trips. He thanked the heavens that the Knights had found him in time to see his Father once more before his death.

He opened the door to his chambers, seeing Gwen on a seat next to the bed which had a person, a woman, sitting upon it. Gwen noticed his presence in the room, making the stranger turn around. Gaius gasped as Morgana turned to face him; he noticed that in the time that she had been gone she had changed. Her physical features were slightly different, the clothes she wore were obviously villagers' clothes and they gave away that her hips were wider – something that Gaius related to a feature that a mother possessed.

"Gaius!" Morgana greeted as she got up from her place on the bed and embraced him. He returned the gesture, happy to see her again. She pulled away just far enough to make eye contact. "I'm sorry."

"Hush, my child. What is done is done." He said releasing her from his hold. "Now I believe you have a story to tell."

"I owe you that much." She retook her place on the bed next to Gwen and waited until Gaius had pulled a spare chair beside the bed and made himself comfortable.

"So was your magic the only reason you left?"

"Um…well it was an underlying reason. When Merlin and I left in December, we had been secretly seeing each other since the Spring Celebrations in May and those dreams were driving me up the wall but I had seen a better life in my dreams."

"Since May, I didn't realise anything was going on until months after that!" Morgana chuckled.

"We have had lots of practice keeping secrets. The dream that I had was about Merlin and I sitting in his mother's house, I was pregnant and we were both extremely happy. It took place a couple of months ago."

"What?" Gwen asked shell-shocked with a hint of excitement. "This is your second child then." She gestured to Morgana by placing her hand on her friend's abdomen.

"Your second, what?" Morgana had the decency to blush when Gaius commented on her revelation. "Were you expecting when you left Camelot?" She watched as his eyebrow rose in anticipation of her answer.

"No no, I was a maiden until my wedding night, granted it wasn't that long after we left, pretty much the next day." Morgana felt the light pressure of Gwen's hand above her womb. "You should see me when I'm huge."

"What did you have?" Gwen removed her hand and had put both her hands together in her lap, her excitement very obvious to the people present.

"A girl, Elanora Ambrosius, she's 9 months old." Gaius had to cover his ears when Gwen let out an ear-splitting squeal. "She's coming to Camelot later today with her father. I didn't want to risk bringing her to Camelot when Uther was still in power because she performed magic for the first time last night."

"Uther dies today?" Gaius questioned, he knew it was coming but it was surreal because it had been confirmed by a seer.

"Yes." She answered quietly, knowing that Uther was one of Gaius' friends and that although he was a tyrant King to everyone else, Gaius did care for him. "Arthur's coronation is tomorrow."

The room fell into an awkward silence in respect to the dying King. It was visually evident that Gaius would suffer the most out of the three with the death of the King as he was his friend, despite the 'closer' relationship Morgana had to the King as his Ward. Gwen, upset that someone was dying, even if it was Uther, was still excited about seeing Morgana and soon Merlin again, and meeting for the first time their daughter.

"You're living with Hunith then?" Gwen asked, changing the subject in interests to move on from the silence and also because she wanted to know everything that had happened in her friend's life since her departure.

"Yes, we all pitch in with the chores which have made Hunith's life easier but she gets bored and as soon as we found out that I was pregnant she practically didn't allow me to do anything. When Merlin had left for Camelot, Hunith was left alone to do all the chores but now we have three adults and she is used to doing a lot more work, I think that me falling pregnant was her excuse to pick up more chores."

"I can understand, I was going crazy this morning because I had nothing to do." Gwen related.

"When I chip in with the chores, it makes me feel proud for doing something that I benefit from; I don't think I could ever go back to sitting around all day. The only thing that I can't do is cook. Anything I attempt to cook either burns, goes alight or rots."

Gaius laughed. "I don't know how to two of you would manage without Hunith, with you burning the food and Merlin's Rat Stew special." Morgana grimaced as she recalled memories of the said stew.

"Life in Ealdor sounds pleasant and very quiet compared to life here." Gwen observed, trying to get the story back on track so that she could hear more.

Morgana nodded her head in agreement, "It's very quiet there, no magical attacks, or attempt assassinations on the royal family." Morgana paused. "But I definitely missed Camelot."

"We missed you." Gwen smiled sweetly at her, Gaius nodded in agreement. "It sounds like you two have done nothing since leaving Camelot."

"Until Ellie came along that is. No one thought that I would fall pregnant so fast and we assumed that I would have time to adjust to the whole living in a village versus Palace. The first few weeks of living in Ealdor was when I found out that I was going to have a baby. She's nine months old and was born in late September; we left Camelot at the beginning of December."

"You've got to admit that was quick work." Gwen agreed, a smile spread ear-to-ear on her face. "Who does she look like?"

"She takes after my looks, but has Merlin's eyes."

"Did she get the ears?" Gaius asked seriously. Morgana shook her head has an affirmative 'no'. "On a girl, those ears would be a curse."

"Hunith and I were hoping throughout the pregnancy that the child did not inherit his ears. She also loves Arthur."

"She's met Arthur?" Gwen and Gaius then realised where Arthur had gone to in his hunting trip.

"She tried walking to him this morning and so far she can only stand up and keep her balance if she doesn't move her feet. She fell over onto Merlin and gave up on walking and crawled to Arthur and he just reached out to her and tickled her when she was in grasp. She absolutely loves him; she started crying when he left the house this morning to come here. Merlin had to transport us here and obviously I went with Arthur. We left all at the same time and Hunith was going to watch Ellie but when she started crying Merlin and I immediately went to her to comfort her. We had to get Arthur to hold her to make her stop crying I don't know what else happened after that because I kinda ran out of the house crying that my baby didn't want me and that she wanted to trade me in for Arthur." Morgana admitted ashamedly, looking down at the quilt that she was ringing through her hands. Gwen joined her friend on the bed and pulled her into her embrace.

"How did he handle a baby wanting to be with him?" Gaius asked with curiosity.

"He was unsure at first but accepted her. It brought up memories of his childhood and he was comparing Ellie to himself at that age." Her friends nodded in agreement, knowing the type of father that Uther was to Arthur.

"Arthur must have related Merlin's fathering technique to his own Father. When Uther treats Arthur like a Prince, compared to Merlin who I imagine treats Ellie like a daughter. It must have been hard on him." Gaius spoke, having seen Arthur grow up from birth, knowing the situation that he was in.

"It was." They fell into a comfortable silence. "I should go visit him."

"Dressed in that manner, milady?" Gwen asked, knowing that the King in his normal state would not allow it. He would not be happy with what Morgana had done to herself, if he had been well maybe she would not be so brave to see him.

"Gwen, I am not a Lady anymore. I refuse you to call me by such names, by class you and me are the same. As for my dress, it is my class and I shall not pretend to be something I'm not." Never in all the years that Gwen had known Morgana, had she ever seen her so determined. It was hard to believe that she had gone from a Lady to a villager because of love, especially after being the Ward of Uther.

"Very well, mil…Morgana." Gwen corrected herself, after years of being Morgana's maid it was hard to drop a habit just like that. "Before we visit him, do you want to get something to eat? I'm sure you haven't had a lot to eat today and in your condition it is not advisable to go long periods without food."

The comment made Morgana bring her hand to her stomach, rubbing it gently. "You mustn't be that far along after having a child, you're not showing yet."

"I'm about a month or so along, there is still a while to go."

"Have you eaten anything today? If you left Ealdor at dawn and it is just about lunchtime, regardless you need to eat again."

"I can eat after." She resisted.

"Morgana! Gwen can you please go down to the kitchens and bring Morgana up lunch _before_ she sees the King."

"Before?"

"Morgana, in your condition you need food, you are eating for two. You need to eat at least three times a day and from knowing the state of Ealdor, I'm sure that you aren't eating enough to satisfy the needs of you and your child."

"But…"

"No buts, you will remain here until you eat your lunch and then I may allow you to visit the King."


	6. Chapter 5

**Wow...yes it is unusually for me to update today but this is the second last post, the last I will post on Sunday and I thought that I will end the story before I return to school on Monday for my final year! If anyone actually reads this and because the next chapter in the author's notes I will be thanking people and etc, I will tell you that there is a sequel in brainstorming although this being my final year of school, don't expect much until Christmas, maybe in times of great stress where I escape to writing fanfiction I might give previews or something alike. I have started writing an introduction thing for the sequel mostly to catch people up on the time that has passed since this story but you will find out when the time comes. I hope you enjoy this second last chapter and please review. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Ellie and the child (whose name wil be revealed in the next chapter).**

**P.S: I killed off Uther and I know that no one is sad about that in any way.**

**Chapter Five**

Arthur looked towards the door at the sound of someone knocking and entering the room. Morgana quietly slipped in through the door to not disturb Uther who was resting. She took a seat next to Arthur beside Uther's bed and took a hold of Arthur's hand in support.

"How are you handling?" Morgana asked. "Have you eaten anything since arriving?"

"Fine and no." He answered both her questions at the same time, "Worry about yourself before you worry about me, you're the one with child." Morgana smiled sadly.

"Although that may be, I ensure you that Gaius forced me to eat and that my child, no matter how little, will have consequences for me if I don't eat but it's worse as they get bigger because they can kick, especially your bladder." She squeezed his hand in comfort. "You need to look after yourself, I know that you are a grown man and can go days without food, but that doesn't mean that you have to. I'm here for you Arthur and I will…"

Morgana was interrupted by the groan of the King that lay in a feverish nightmare on the bed. Their attention was taken and placed on Uther has he moved his head to the direction of where the voices used to be and opened his eyes to find the speakers.

"Arthur, my son." He said meekly, gathering his energy to talk to his only child. Arthur released his hand from Morgana's grip and kneeled in front of his Father's bedside. Upon that action, Morgana stood up from her place with plans of leaving the two in privacy. However, Uther noticed the movement and spotted his former Ward. "Morgana."

The said woman stopped in her tracks at the voice of her sick King.

"Morgana." He repeated, weaker than before but his stubborn nature was evident in this time of weakness. She didn't really want to speak to him, she never did want to see him again but he had taken her in and cherished her like the daughter he never had. She placed a hand lightly on her abdomen, where her second child lay, her only local reminder of Merlin. She straightened her back and turned to face him.

"Morgana." He repeated again, his voice begging her to come closer. She went around to the side of the bed to which Arthur was not at and perched herself on the edge of the bed. He weakly turned his head to look at her, taking in her whole appearance.

"Why?" She knew what he was asking, why did you leave? Why weren't you happy? Why did you think that you could solve your problems by running away? Why did you think you could betray me and then come visit me on my deathbed?

But he didn't contain the energy to unleash the anger towards her that had accumulated over the past year-and-a-half. At this stage of his life, lying on his deathbed, he just wanted to know why she had run away. He wasn't in the condition to pick a fight and win against the feisty woman. He was a dying man and his final wish was to know the mystery that resolved itself around his former Ward.

She wasn't planning on telling Uther the truth when he was still King, he may not have the energy to fight her off but he still had Knights that were loyal to him. The story that she was going to tell him was partly the truth, the side of the story that didn't involve any magic. "I ran away because I didn't want to marry some Prince or Duke that you would select for me, someone that I wouldn't know anything about. When you first approached me with the subject of getting married, I had a secret suitor."

She watched as Uther despite being as weak as he was, managed to gain the first glimpses of anger in his ill-ridden face. "You would not have approved at all, especially considering he was a servant." She stopped and watched as he slowly opened his mouth about to say something before she cut him off. "Please don't fight back, I'm only going to tell you the truth and then I will leave."

Arthur looked somewhat relieved as he didn't want to lose his Father by him fighting with Morgana and landing himself with a fatal heart attack. He had admired how Morgana had changed in the short amount of time that she had been away from Camelot; she seemed more peaceful and not as feisty as before. A word that Arthur would use to describe the change in Morgana if he valued his life was: tamed.

"Two years ago at the Spring Celebrations, I started courting Merlin, Arthur's former manservant." She ignored Uther's face altogether as his name was revealed. "He courted me for seven months before we eloped in early December, we planned that you would think that I ran away, and Merlin had simply decided to return to Ealdor."

Arthur had a small smile on the last comment on how their plan had worked and his Father thought that she had possibly joined the Druids. He knew the truth at the time and led fake trails to throw the Knights off Morgana and Merlin's real trail, keeping their secret.

"We left for Ealdor, taking a detour on the way to possibly throw off any Knights that may have gone to Ealdor and to get married. When we actually arrived in Ealdor, we moved in with Merlin's Mother and took over her chores, Merlin farming and harvesting, while I cleaned the house and washed the clothes." In the corner of her eye, she saw Arthur look sceptical at her last comment. "I was determined to pull my weight and help in the household, Hunith wasn't happy with us taking all her work, she had nothing to do. A few weeks after living in Ealdor, I started to gain weight despite eating less food than I did in Camelot, I was with child."

She smiled to herself as she relived the memories as she retold her story, she could imagine Uther widening his eyes and yelling at her, but he didn't have the strength. He couldn't put together a sentence without giving into exhaustion and therefore had no way to stop her story, no way to reprimand her for what she had done to herself.

"I gave birth to my baby in late September, a little girl." She looked towards Uther, who was astonished to the fact that she had a child. But upon the revelation, he was jealous of the unjust in the world, he had lost his Igraine to childbirth. She was a good person and Uther was a good King, he had a reputation to be cruel but he did what he thought was good for his kingdom. After all the good things that he had done for his realm, he was gifted with his wife being taken away from him, it wasn't fair.

"I'm happy; I never thought I could be this happy. It's the best feeling been loved, I know that you have felt that Uther, and I know that you have suffered by her loss."

She made and maintained eye contact with the man that took her in when her Father had died. She looked at him as if she could see into his soul, to see the man on the inside and not the man covered in armour hiding his true emotions. After all he had put her through; she felt sorry for him and pitied him because he was still in mourning over his wife and that he couldn't and would never move on from his wife's death.

"Thank you." Then she left the room, leaving Father and Son to themselves. As she walked out the door, she felt a pair of familiar arms wrap around her frame. She embraced the hold that her husband had on her as they made their way back to Gaius' chambers. Along the walk back to the Merlin's former residence, they came across the Physician who without a doubt was returning to tend to the King.

"She's a gorgeous baby." He complimented to the parents as he quickly stopped to talk to them.

"It's a good thing she looks like me then." Merlin joked receiving a slap up the side of his head from the older man.

"I've been waiting to do that for a long time."

Morgana chuckled and added, "Well Arthur beat you to it last night."

"You're going to have to fight Ellie off Gwen; she's already in love with that child." Gaius smiled at them before he remembered where he was heading. "I need to go tend to Uther." The Physician left them and the couple continued on their way to their destination, ignoring the looks of the royal workers who were astonished with the simultaneous reappearance of the King's Ward and the Prince's former manservant.

Upon entering Gaius' chambers they saw a goblet floating an inch above the table. They found the culprit sitting on Gwen's lap, giggling innocently at the scene before her with gold eyes. The magical colour in her eyes disappeared as she spotted her parents at the doorway, causing the goblet to drop to the table with a clang. She immediately started fussing in the maid's arms, trying to stretch over to her mother, whom she hadn't seen since she left with Arthur earlier in the morning.

Morgana heeded her daughter's demand and picked up her daughter with no resistance for Gwen whose eyes where darting from the child to the goblet and back again in amazement and shock.

"Come here, my baby." Morgana cooed as her daughter grew continuously restless, bouncing her in attempts to comfort the child. "She's hungry, has she had anything to eat since Arthur and I left this morning?"

"She had one of those biscuits that my mother made." He answered, gesturing to the biscuits that lay on the table that Hunith had kindly made for them. Morgana reached over to the table and picked up one of the biscuits and offered it to Ellie.

"Cookie?" The infant turned her head away from the biscuit and nestled her head into her mother's chest. "Ok, you want me to feed you. That means more cookies for me then." She placed the biscuit in her mouth and moaned at the taste. "Have you tasted these Gwen, they're so good. Even Arthur agrees."

**A Year and a Half**

Merlin and Morgana lay in bed in the darkness of the night in a guestroom that was their temporary accommodation given to them by Arthur. They remained in the silence, listening to the deep breathing of their daughter, who was wedged in between their bodies. Morgana watched the chest of her child rise and sink with every breath she took, she looked up to Merlin who was staring past her shoulder and out the window where the citizens of Camelot were camped out awaiting news on the King.

Merlin eyes met hers as the sound of bells rang throughout the castle, signalling the death of the King. "He's gone."


	7. Chapter 6

**I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday but it was not my fault, the stupid (obviously I'm not thinking straight) site would not let me upload. Anyway I have to make this quick because I returned to school today and I am kinda banned from leisure internet activites during the week. So thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited or alerted. Or those of you who just read and don't do anything. I have a sequel in mind and will probably be writing in times of stress, so until then: thank you and bye.**

**Disclaimer: I only own Ellie and Addie (oh I spoilt it for you).**

**Chapter Six**

_There was nothing but terrifying darkness, the deepest tone of black humanly possible. It was has if someone had turned out the lights and had placed a black blindfold over their eyes or the person was asleep and was having a dreamless dream. In this type of environment you could not depend on sight, only on your hearing. _

"_Ellie?" A voice cried, one that belonged to a young female child, who could be assumed was shuffling her feet in order to seek a closer comfort from the said girl. "Ellie, what do we do?" The girl sounded scared out of her wits, the cause of her anguish was unknown, and nothing could be identified through the dark environment._

"_Addie, she wants me. Get away while you still can." Ellie spoke for the first time, in a quiet whisper, begging the other girl to leave._

"_You think I'm going to let her go Elanora?" A dark female voice sneered, although a question was asked an answer wasn't expected. "You think that I'm going to give away a child of Merlin, when I can have two. The more the merrier." She cackled the voice sounding like it was closing in on its target, accompanied with the sharp clicks of shoes on a hard surface._

Morgana woke with scream, waking her husband and child as she did so. Her eyes raced around the room trying to figure out where she was. She recalled the previous day's events and remembered that she had been placed in a guest room in the castle. The baby that had been startled awake started crying whilst Merlin picked her up in attempts to hush her crying and to attend to his wife's state of mind. At the sound of her crying baby, she turned to face her small family in the bed and accepted being held in an embrace between the three of them. She breathed deeply, trying not to dwell on the dream that had plagued her in the night. As a seer, she feared that the dream was true, and although it wouldn't come true for many years to come, it scared her that someone was after her baby.

She could hear the bustling of servants preparing for the coronation of the new King. She didn't sleep throughout the night for the sound of the bells signalling the death of Uther and the drama that she had gone through in the past day, she was back in Camelot, there was a new King, she was reunited with her friends, and all secrets had been revealed, it was enough for her mind to run ragged over trying to sort everything out. She was mentally and emotionally exhausted but she could not give in to slumber as she feared that being back in Camelot may bring back the nightmares that would leave her haunted for the day ahead. She figured it was sometime after dawn that she gave into exhaustion but she didn't know what time it was currently, although it must have been early as her child had not waken her up.

Ellie had tear-tracks down her face as she rested her head on her father's shoulder, clinging onto him, half-asleep. Morgana watched her child seek comfort in Merlin's arms and she snuggled closer to them, placing her head on his free shoulder, in attempts to avoid the topic of the dream that she had just had.

"Your dream?"

"It's not urgent, a couple of years off, I'll tell you later." She risked a glance and saw his eyes staring at her, forcing her to keep her word with a look, making her want to tell him everything that she had just seen. A knock saved her, and Gwen identified herself from behind the door. Morgana let her enter from her spot on the bed, tangled up with her husband and child.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, mil…Morgana," Correcting her mistake before Morgana could have a chance to glare at her. "and Merlin, Arthur requests the presence of you Merlin." He nodded, reluctant to leave his wife and child but passed his daughter off to her mother before heading into a side room to change his clothes in privacy.

"I brought you breakfast, out of habit." She admitted as she eyed the child that was evidently half asleep and was not as bubbly as she had been the day before. "Arthur said that he was going to make Merlin fetch his breakfast for old time's sake, so I didn't get him anything but I wasn't too sure what to get Ellie. In the end I just put extra food on your plate."

"I mostly feed her, we are trying to get her to eat more food but she is still very dependant on me and being in this new environment might put her off the food until she gets settled. You don't mind if I feed her now do you?" Gwen shook her head and Morgana set about feeding her daughter, ensuring that the babe was satisfied before making a start on the breakfast that Gwen had delivered.

Merlin returned to the room, dressed in his usual attire, ready for what the day was going to throw at him, the day that he had been waiting for ever since discovering his linked destiny with Arthur. He made his way to the ladies in the room and grabbed the little foot of his daughter, who in return without disturbing her feeding had pulled back her leg trying to dislodge her father's hand, not in the mood to play games with her father.

"You know she doesn't like that Merlin, hurry up and go to Arthur before he comes in here and finds me in this state." Lightly pushing him away, he resisted and came close to kiss her gently before stealing a piece of bread from her plate of food and swiftly leaving the room.

"Hey, I'm eating for three here!" She called after him in a futile attempt to redeem her lost breakfast. "So whilst we are enjoying our breakfast, I want to catch up on what has happened between you and Arthur since I have been gone, don't think I haven't noticed and then we really need to get ready for Arthur's coronation."

**A Year and a Half**

"King Arthur, it has a certain ring to it."

"I always knew that this day would come but never imagined it, I'm sure if I did I would have never have guessed anything correctly about you two." Arthur indicated to the magical duo, now retired to one of his newly inherited study, hours after his coronation had taken place.

"We are now on the path to our 'happily ever after'." Gwen stated, meeting Arthur's eyes and gazing in to them longingly. Morgana smiled at the couple, she felt a sudden pressure on her abdomen, and she didn't need to look down to identify it as Merlin's hand, the new addition to their future, Addie.

With the excitement and anticipation of what the future will hold in a Camelot under Arthur's reign, a marriage between Arthur and Gwen, the birth of her second daughter, Morgana feared the coming years and the unpleasant events for what she had foreseen.

"With Ellie in our future, it will surely be bright." The new King commented, looking down at the child who lay asleep in his arms. "How did I end up with her?" He asked rhetorically. "So Morgana, will Ellie have a baby brother or sister?"

"Why do you think I know?" She retorted slyly, in her mind asking herself if she should reveal the sex of the second child if not all her dream to the friends that would risk their lives to save her daughter, whom which they meet only a day before.

"I think it's a boy that will look exactly like Merlin and have those big ears." Gwen gushed. "Oh and if we stood them next to each other, it would be so adorable."

"Guinevere, you have now doomed that child when it comes, however I think that this one," Arthur gestured to the child in Morgana's womb, "is a girl. What do you think Merlin?"

"Well I don't need a son to secure my fortune because there is nothing to inherit, I don't have work, we need to talk about that Arthur, and I'm living off the wealth of the King. As long as the child is happy and safe," Morgana cringed at the word 'safe', an aftershock from her dream that went unnoticed by the adults in the room who were paying attention to Merlin. "I don't care what gender it is."

"It's a girl." Morgana whispered, revealing only the minority part of her dream to the others. "I had a dream where I couldn't see anything but I could hear what was going on, Ellie spoke to her, to Addie and she responded. There was…anyway it was a couple of years off, it is a couple of years off." She correctly herself, not yet ready to share the rest of the story, although she knew that the others suspected more.

**A Year and a Half**

In an empty abandoned courtyard in the place which men called the Isle of the Blessed, stood a woman holding a golden goblet to the sky and toasted the traditional 'Long live the King' with a sneer before bringing


End file.
